A long, long time ago… 2006… a small print shop known simply as “Marvel” released a seven-issue, limited series crossover special in which teams of virtuous heroes took time away from fighting the evils of the world so they could fight each other. Marvel Civil War became a momentous entry into the printer’s catalog of work, but only to readers. In those times, legendary comics came and went without the mainstream even batting an eye.

Then, many, many years later… the 2010s… a boom time of comic book movies revived all the old, forgotten characters and story lines of Marvel. These moving pictures brought joy to new fans, old fans, and stockholders.

Consequently, the young Marvel fans don’t know the classic stories. So how can the studio cram decades of character history into a series of 2-hour films over years?

The answer, as always, is nerds on the Internet.

Here’s everything you need to know about the story before you see Captain America Civil War:

Original Plotline

The original series started when a D-team group of superheroes, think the Avengers of Stamford, CT, screw the pooch and let a supervillain blow up a chunk of the city, including an elementary school, and on live TV, because they were filming a superhero-themed reality show.

Not wanting to condone the murder of children, the general populace turned against superheroes, urging the U.S. government to implement the Superhero Registration Act. Basically, superheroes had to register their secret identities to the government, which got a lot of them butt-hurt because they hide their personal lives for a reason.

So, the cool superheroes starting resisting the registration, while the nerdy ones stuck by the government they loved so much. S.H.I.E.L.D., under Agent Maria Hill, began enforcing the law and asked Captain America to hunt down all his friends, but he obviously refused and they obviously ordered him to be taken down.

Iron Man really spear-headed the pro-registration league, since the mother of one of the killed children told him Iron Man was his favorite. Captain America, meanwhile, lead the rebels, in their cool underground lairs with all the badasses. I mean, come on: who cheers for the establishment?

While things were getting heated, Iron Man pulled a nice publicity stunt where Spider-Man admitted his secret identity on live TV to show support for registration. This was a big deal, since Spider-Man was the most popular superhero with a secret identity. It was also useless, since Spider-Man later switched sides.

The supervillains also started joining sides, since they were required to register, too. Some fought for the rebels to keep their privacy, while others fought for the pro-registration for the chance to hunt down their superhero nemeses.

Anyway, Iron Man and Cap strategically try to one-up the other, until Iron Man sets a trap by exploiting the rebel heroes’ weakness of wanting to help people. Faking a chemical fire, Iron Man lured out the underground superheroes and an epic fight ensued. Then Thor appeared, but not the real Thor, a clone Thor (this is a comic, after all: they love their clones). The Thor clone brutally killed a low-level hero named Goliath, and everyone was like “WTF!?”

Goliath’s death shook things up, and a bunch of heroes changed sides. All told, though, the pro-registration side became less popular, and the rebel team mounted a counter-attack against the pro-registration jail.

The climax was another epic battle, which led outside right into Time Square. Cap was about to finish off Iron Man, when he had a corny “Martha” moment and looked around at all the damage their battle was doing to innocent people. Cap surrendered and everyone was like “WTF!?”

But in the epilogue — and this part might come in the movie — as Captain America was walking up the steps to his trial, a sniper presumed to be Crossbones killed the Cap, acting under the orders of the Red Skull. It turned out to actually be a brain-washed Sharon Carter. This is the last Captain America movie scheduled…

What We Know So Far About Captain America Civil War

We know the film starts with Captain America leading the Avengers on a mission, where a catastrophe happens much like in the comics. The loose plot seems to follow along the comics, with a much, much smaller cast.

A few of the team-members changed sides, like Black Panther, partly because the Marvel Cinematic Universe only has the rights to so few of their characters. We also find characters that weren’t that involved in the comic taking mainstream roles in the movie. Scarlet Witch and Hawkeye weren’t in the comic at all.

What to Expect

One of the main reasons we’re excited about Captain America Civil War is because it brings together a wide range of characters from the MCU, including new ones and some introduced in Avengers: Age of Ultron. These are all characters with deep backstories in the comics, so here are some things you might want to look out for.

1. Love Story Between Vision and the Scarlet Witch

She’s a quirky girl who doesn’t quite fit in. He’s an experimental robot with a space gem for a brain. Yep, that old rom-com cliche.

The two are long-time members of the Avengers in the comics, so it makes sense that they’d fall in love (well, as much sense as a human loving a robot can make). Their affair was tarnished by their teammates’ opposition: Quicksilver because he didn’t want his sister dating a robot, and Hawkeye because he was in love with the Scarlet Witch herself. But, since in the MCU one is dead and the other married, things are looking up for the couple of the future.

2. Black Panther

One of the lesser known Marvel heroes is also one of the most interesting. This prince of a fictional African country Wakanda has more wealth than even Tony Stark, thanks to the highly valuable source of Vibranium. Martin Freeman, who recently played the lead in the Hobbit trilogy, will play the prince’s diplomatic aid in his voyage to the U.S.

3. Iron Man Pissed at Winter Soldier

There’s some speculation that part of the main rivalry results from the Winter Solider having played a part in the death of Iron Man’s father. In the previous Captain America movie, Hydra took credit for the death of Howard Stark.

4. Baron Zemo and Crossbones

It’s already been revealed that two central Captain America villains, Baron Zemo and Crossbones, will be present.

Crossbones was set-up in the previous film, when the Hydra agent Brock Rumlow was maimed in the final battle with Falcon. Baron Zemo is brand new — all we know is that he’s played by Inglorious Bastards actor Daniel Bruhl.

Captain America Civil War: Why Are Good Guys Fighting Each Other?

Does everything you know about Deadpool come from his cameo in Wolverine: Origins? For shame, fan-boy! Every True Believer knows that’s not the real Deadpool.

With the movie coming out soon (and looking a lot better than Origins), Deadpool’s about to be catapulted up to the upper tier of cinematic superheroes, taking a place next to Batman and Captain America. Everyone’s excited because this is one of the first times a mainstream superhero movie earns its R-rating.

But ask a die-hard comic fan, and they’ll tell you Deadpool’s always been one of the greats. In fact, it was his cult status among comic readers that urged Fox Studios to redo their treatment of the hero and give him his own movie.

And why are people more excited about Deadpool’s film than, say, Aquaman? Here’s a primer of what makes Deadpool great:

• He’s an antihero, which is to say, he kills people.
• He’s hilarious, with witty snaps and pop culture references (and a boyish crush on Bea Arthur).
• He doesn’t always win, and is often a tragic character.
• He breaks the fourth wall constantly, fully aware he’s in a comic. At one friend’s funeral, he even wonders how long before the publishers think of a way to bring him back.
• He’s not Aquaman.

So, now everyone’s talking about the Merc with a Mouth, and you’re worried about losing your nerd status. The names Weasel, Blind Al, and Francis don’t ring a bell… You’ve never put much thought into how a transportation device fits in a belt… You had no idea a bicep could be used as a gun silencer…

Fear not, future Deadpool fan. There’s still time. Here are 4 essential Deadpool comics, collections, and storylines that highlight Deadpool’s career, so you can pretend you were a fan all along.

Deadpool Classic Vol. 1

As a Deadpool fan, I’ll be honest… this collection isn’t his best. It is, however, a historical document. There’s virtually no difference between Deadpool Classic Vol. 1 and the Canterbury Tales.

Here you will read the very first appearances of Deadpool, conceived by Fabian Nicienza and Rob Liefeld in New Mutants #98 (1991). You will blush with embarrassment at the blatant rip-off of DC’s Deathstroke, a.k.a., Slade Wilson (which sounds nothing like Deadpool’s alias Wade Wilson), and wonder what was it about this one-off character that Marvel execs decided to put their faith into.

Like the first season of The Simpsons, there are only a few similarities between Deadpool’s beginning and the greatness he became. But if you want to be a true Deadpool fan, you have to start with the beginning. Luckily, there’s plenty of cameos to keep it interesting: Cable, Juggernaut, Siryn, Banshee, and Sasquatch.

Deadpool by Joe Kelly Omnibus

This is the Deadpool you’ll learn to love. Joe Kelly and Ed McGuinness turn the Merc with a Mouth into a character worthy of his own run. These first 33 issues of this own title delve deep into his character, explaining his origins as a mercenary and Weapon X experiment to escape his cancer, and his struggles walking the line between hero and villain.

This run is hilarious, exhilarating, and at times will kick you square in the feels. Personally it’s one of my favorite comic runs ever, but I’m not alone. If this weren’t so epic, Deadpool would have just faded back into early 90s obscurity.

Deadpool by Daniel Way: The Complete Collection: Volume 1

Once Deadpool was cemented as a classic, other writers had the opportunity to have fun with him. One of the most successful of these authors was Daniel Way, who, along with illustrator Steve Dillon, took the hero to new heights by taking him to new lows.

Daniel Way’s run sacrifices the drama of previous runs for a lot more blood, guts, and gags. High points include Deadpool pitted against Wolverine, Super-Skrulls, and Norman Osborn. If you’re looking for pure entertainment, Daniel Way is often credited as being the funniest Deadpool writer — saying a lot for a character known for his humor.

Deadpool Volume 3: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

Stepping into a more modern time, Marvel had the genius idea of teaming up writer and comedian Brian Posehn (“Mr. Show,” “New Girl,”) with comic veteran Gerry Duggan, and then teaming that team up with illustrators Scott Koblish and Declan Shalvey. A comic run so awesome, it needed four people to steer it.

The 5-issue series The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly features everything we love about Deadpool — off-color jokes, relentless violence, and the return of his luckless ethos.

But Deadpool’s not alone in this masterpiece. He teams up with none other than Captain American and Wolverine, plus a team of dollar-store, knock-off X-men from North Korea. Sometimes regarded as the best Deadpool story, it’s undoubtedly one of the finest.

4 Essential Deadpool Comics to Prepare for the Movie

Created by digital artist Andy Fairhurst, this collection of silhouette illustrations captures how imaginative kids can be with the help of a few household items and the great outdoors. Dressing up as their favorite superheroes (and villains), these illustrated tikes take on the mantel of the Bat, the rage of the Hulk, the insanity of the Joker and the patriotism of Captain America.

Besides depicting the creativity of children pretending to be superheroes, Fairhurst has extended the series to include pop culture icons such as Doctor Who, Marty McFly, Master Chief, Gandalf the Grey, Elliot from E.T. and Jack Skellington (The Nightmare Before Christmas). Beyond the silhouette series, you will also find illustrations related to Star Wars, Tron, Bioshock and Prince of Persia in addition to a variety of character portraits of Marvel and DC comic book heroes.

You can take a look at Fairhurst’s other work on his DeviantArt profile here. However, be sure to check out the superhero kids series below.

Batman

Captain America

The Flash

Ghost Rider

Green Lantern

Hawkeye

Hulk

Iron Man

The Punisher

Robin

Spider-man

Storm

Superman

Thor

Wolverine

Wonder Woman

Super-Villain Kids:

Bane

Catwoman

Doc Ock

Harley

The Joker

Loki

Magneto

Poison Ivy

The Riddler

Superhero Kids: The Power of a Little Imagination

Developed by Danny Haas over the last few years, this collection of illustrations dives into the identities of superheroes made famous in comic books and graphic novels. This series has been successful for Haas, particularly his take on the Man of Steel, the Dark Knight and Iron Man. After focusing on male superheroes in his first batch of drawings, he released a set that illustrated several female heroes such as Wonder Woman, Supergirl and Jean Grey.

Beyond his work on superheroes, Haas has created a variety of prints on his Society6 page that cover pop culture topics such as Doctor Who, Breaking Bad, Community, Game of Thrones, Back to the Future, Peter Pan, Firefly and The Walking Dead. You can take a look and purchase his work here.

But first, check out the superhero series below. Can you name all of them? 

Split Personalities: Superheroes and Their Alter Egos

Created by illustrator / photographer Guilia Pex of Milan, Italy, this set of seemingly mundane photographs have been enhanced with the superhero-infused illustrations. Pex took pictures of her dad in various poses or during his daily chores and added illustrated elements from the worlds of Superman, the Flash, Batman and Spider-Man. The set shows how she sees her dad each day, just in time for Father’s Day.

Object illustrated within the photos include the Bat signal, the Batmobile, the iconic Superman chest symbol, a billowing superhero cape (much to the sadness of this fashion designer), the Justice League Mission Vision Motorcycle (oddly used by The Flash) and Doc Ock’s metal arms.

Pex has applied a similar mesh of illustrations and real life objects in here other work as well. You can take a look at her full portfolio here. Check out the cool Father’s Day illustrations below:

Artist illustrates her dad as a superhero for a Father’s Day gift

Developed by graphic design and illustration company Locust Year, Superstaches is a collection of illustrations that adds the most manliest of mustaches to popular superheroes and pop culture heroes. Characters in the collection include Iron Man, Wolverine, Batman, Superman, Yoda, the Flash and Spider-Man.

In addition to the obsession with the stache, Locust Year also takes on subjects such as Star Wars, He-Man, Indiana Jones, Arrested Development, Galaga and Inglourious Basterds. If you are interested in any of the prints below, check out the Locust Year Society6 page here for more details. The designs can be applied to everything from iPhone cases to throw pillows.

Check out the entire collection of Superstaches below:

Logan

Bruce

Barry

Tony

Pete

Clark

The Jedi Master with a Mustache

Superstaches: When Superheroes and Mustaches Collide